Various forms of combined tighteners and fasteners are utilized to secure cable and link chain ends together. One particular link chain end securing operation is that which is accomplished by the attaching and tightening fasteners generally associated with the side chains on vehicle wheel skid chains. However, these combined tighteners and fasteners have only limited adjustment capacity, independent of being engaged with the next side chain link, with the result that the associated vehicle wheel skid chains may be only loosely applied, or one or two end links of an associated side chain must remain loose and may engage a fender of the associated vehicle as the wheel turns and render damage to the fender or the paint thereon. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved form of skid chain side chain fastener and tightener and with the fastener and tightener being capable of ready operation by inexperienced persons and reliable to effect secure anchoring of adjacent ends of a skid chain side chain together.
Although various forms of combined fasteners and tighteners including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention have been heretofore designed such as those structures disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 141,191, 2,299,526, 3,051,519 and 4,009,765, these previously known devices are not well suited for use in securing the adjacent ends of a skid chain side chained together.